Greetings All –
Step 178 - I will
remember those who have given to me today. (MP3)
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| “I will remember those who have given to me today.” Step 178 |
THIS IS A SPECIAL DAY OF ACKNOWLEDGING THE PRESENCE
of genuine relationships in your life. It is a special day of acknowledging the
gifts that have been given to you. It is a day meant for gratitude.
UPON THE HOUR, THEN, REPEAT THIS STATEMENT and take
a moment to recall those who have given to you. Try to think very carefully of
the individuals who have given benefit to you, both by demonstrating their
Wisdom and their error. Think of those who have illustrated the way to go and the
way not to go. As you inquire further into this in your two longer practice
periods today, try to think more carefully and allow any individual who comes
to mind to be the subject of your investigation. This is an active practice
time in your meditation periods.
IN YOUR LONGER PRACTICE PERIODS, repeat the
statement at the beginning of practice and allow individuals to come to you.
Learn to recognize their contribution to the reclamation of Knowledge. Learn to
recognize their contribution to your physical and emotional well-being. Learn to
recognize how they have served you. In this way, your entire concept of giving
and receiving and of service in the world may be expanded and developed. This
will give you a true vision of the world so that you may learn to be
compassionate with yourself and with others.
THIS, THEN, IS A DAY OF AFFIRMATION and a day of
gratitude. Allow your practices to be meaningful and effective so that you may
receive their reward.
PRACTICE 178: Two 30-minute practice periods. Hourly
practice.
This Step says:
“It is a day meant for gratitude.” The importance of gratitude will be revealed in the
Steps.
Yesterday: Step
177 - I will learn to be honest today.
From the Journal:
6:50 a.m. Monday, January 10, 2000
TAI CHI – a.m./p.m. The old way – a return needed.
Prodigal again. The spirit connection is scary – even though sought. I shall
practice.
7:02 p.m. The stock market flies, and I go nowhere
– nothing invested – K say not to worry. A good day @ work – the team is back
to a degree. My life here is not about earning money. I should just put the
money in the best available funds and forget. I went opposite my conclusion last
year. I needed to be more aggressive; I got more conservative based on fear.
This is honest. S2K is: “I will learn to be honest today.”
This is one of the strongest ideas I’ve encountered
thus far in the Steps. To be honest – it is a “requirement to feel what you
know.” I do feel/sense truths beyond my body/with my body.
I can feel the whole truth that put me in this
chair, following S2K, and recording it in green ink in a lab note book. It has
come to this and will continue on with this sense.
11:35 p.m. to be. Not the original plan. My
personal side gets de-railed easily. Flights reserved to & from Texas. It
will be costly – but so what – they are my kids and nothing else really counts
– at least that’s how I feel with two drinks/fatigue.
As I am doing Steps for
the first time, it has not become my life. There are many things going on, like
trying to play the stock market for a future retirement income, as well as heed
the dangers in the world. The dot.com boom is nearly at its peak, so my
conservative action has left me flat, relatively speaking, though at this time,
a decent interest rate was paid on money-market funds and bonds. I am sorting
through issues of other sorts, as any student is likely to do. Steps is, by
this time, becoming a greater part of my life. So I wrote: S2K
is: “I will learn to be honest today.” This is one of the strongest ideas I’ve
encountered thus far in the Steps.
Let us continue.
NNC
Journal second time x2
Step 177. This is for those who have completed Steps
once. Doing Steps with only the texts, messages and your life experience,
including what you may have studied and practiced is your journey. I’m showing
Step comments after the Step, so as not to influence you in advance. It is a
wilderness trek to be left to your own wits, but then you can also listen more
closely for guides, angels and teachers, always first saying: “I surround and
protect myself with the Love and the Grace of God.” Thankfully, I was taught
this practice in 1989.
P.S. If you’ve some interest due to this or other
Steps, you should go to the beginning blog post. From here you will learn about Steps to Knowledge
and can begin it on the day that makes sense; then progress as needed. You can
use the posts on this blog as a companion if it helps. They will remain in
order in the archives - one post per Step.
Often it takes 18 months to get through the Steps
once. For this blog, the pace is one-a-day, but it really makes no difference
how fast you do it, only that you begin, persist and repeat. Posts here provide
a trail that may let you have a virtual companion when and if you want one. One
may have to study alone, as I did in the beginning. There are other Steps
students blogging their experience and you might find a person more like you as
a companion, or use a number of such Steps journeys. There are options as well
through the Free School of the New Message.
